As I was about to start my this, my third session with Resident Evil 7, I was in an apprehensive mood. Day 2, for me, lost a lot of the factors that made the game initially so enjoyable. Would Day 3 ramp up the scares?
BEWARE! STORY SPOILERS!
In a phone conversation with Lucas, the Baker’s son, it’s been revealed he has captured both Mia and Zoe. It’s up to Ethan to try to rescue them, he uses two key cards he had found earlier to unlock the next stage of the game.
The game really does have a change of pace here, now you are negotiating trip wires that will set off explosions if triggered. Working your way through the level, mindful that Lucas has booby-trapped nearly everything in the building, you end up in a large barn. Here Ethan manages to outsmart Lucas by defeating the monster sent in to kill him, and so activating a lift that will take him out of the barn and back to near the entrance where an initially locked door can now be opened,. The next challenge is somewhat reminiscent of the movie Saw, various tasks need completing in a certain order so Ethan can escape, get the order wrong and Ethan dies in a pretty unpleasant way. I really wanted more of these challenges, but it sadly appears there is only the one.
Malicious traps bypassed, Ethan can now progress to the room where both Mia and Zoe are being help captive, he cuts them free and with Zoes help using the items found earlier, creates two doses of the serum. It’s at this point that a heavily mutated Jack bursts into the room and attacks. This was an enjoyable battle, that wasn’t too long nor difficult. The main problem with the fight was that you had to use one of the serum to kill Jack off. Ethan has a decision to make.
I chose to give Mia the serum, (she was Ethans partner after all), I will replay the game and chose Zoe next time to see if the choice changes gameplay. Zoe stays behind at the Baker house, with Ethan and Mia leaving on a small boat. They say they will send help, but Zoe exclaims there is no point, as everyone will be dead. After a brief time, they come across a shipwrecked tanker, before they can really take in what it was doing there, Eveline (a girl mentioned in passing throughout the game and who Ethan had several flashbacks about , mostly when he was approaching the altar in Day 2’s play through), attacks, and knocks Ethan out!
Here the game switches, you are now controlling Mia. As Mia makes here way around she climbs up onto the ship, she keeps having visions of Eveline, who calls her Mother. She also has visions of the ship before its shipwreck. Had she been on the boat before? Who was this girl? With more puzzle solving and item gathering completed, Mia, having followed Eveline through the boat finds herself in a room with the girl. Mia’s asked to watch a video tape, the girl tells her it will help her to remember.
As the tape plays out, it’s revealed that Mia is actually a covert operative working for an unnamed corporation that was developing Eveline as a biological weapon. It was Mias job to oversee the girls transfer from the US to Central America. Typically, this went wrong, with Eveline escaping and wrecking the ship. In trying to force Mia to accept that she is her mother, Eveline infects her.
The tape finishes and Eveline disappears. Mia continues to explore the ship, she finds the bridge and here gains access to the security camera system, flicking through the various cameras, she see Ethan. She now knows what deck he is on, and heads off to find him.
Day 3 consisted of about 3 hours gameplay. I stopped at a point that seemed a natural lull in the action before I head into, what I’m assuming will be, the finale.
This game now feels very much like Resident Evil. Yes, the puzzles are dead easy, there is still the backtracking required to progress, but it’s great fun. I was initially disappointed that the über scary gameplay didn’t continue (maybe we will see this return in another title), but as the game has progressed I’ve consistently found myself enjoying the ride as the Baker family try to wipe me out.
I’m roughly 8 hours in and approaching the games climax. I’ve quite liked how they have tied this into the Resident Evil universe (I would question how Ethan is unaware of Mias profession though. I’m hoping for an explanation later). I’m already thinking about another play through, first to see if giving the serum to Zoe changes anything, plus a fair few collectibles still need collecting.
I think there will be one session left to complete Resident Evil 7 – Biohazard, I’ll post an update once finished.
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